Are Chatbots Providing A Better Treatment For Patient Grievances

The time since chatbot started getting popular for its efficiency to manage queries. It was able to make its presence on various website and messaging portals.

Like a rumor, it spread that a chatbot works the best for an e-commerce brand, retail store, and FMCG products but not all rumors are true. Not even this one, a chatbot is able to fit in any kind of industry and the benefits can be enjoyed by all.

In this article, I would like to discuss how chatbots are able to provide a better treatment for patient grievances.

We all have been a patient at some point. The grievance that we face or sometimes still face are:

The prolonged process of booking appointments

Medical assistance for healthcare-related information

Getting a recommendation for common symptoms

Getting in touch with the customer service operator

Out of all the grievances, let me take the appointment booking scenario. A chatbot cuts down a 10 minute's converted into a 5 minutes chat. Let us see how?

Here is how your conversation would look like:

Hi! What can I do for you today?

I want to book an appointment.

Okay. A doctor will be available today from 6 PM to 8 PM. Let me know your time of visit?

7:30 PM.

Can I know your good name?

John Green.

Done! I have fixed your appointment.

Here we as a patient receive an immediate assistance at the touch of our fingertips.

1. One of the biggest pain points of booking an appointment is effectivity handled by a chatbot. Taking a step ahead, the chatbot keeps a record of the data like next visit due, medicine list, doctor consulted, and department of consultation and will send follow up reminders accordingly.

2. Getting instant replies to our questions. There are times that we have a lot of questions and every time we may not like to wait to get connected to the service agent to get our answer. A chatbot becomes a medium to answer those FAQs on behalf of the hospital/clinic.

So a patient, you can come to the bot anytime to get answers to your questions. Here the bot is trained with basic AI and some intents for the bot to understand what the user is asking for and what is the correct reply for the query?

The deep learning and the AI element helps the bot in improving its conversation with the patients as the bot keeps learning from every query triggered.

3. With chatbot providing answers, it also gives assistance for common symptoms like fever, cold and cough.

Like a symptom checker, its gives correct medical guidance and if the symptom look server it would redirect to a doctor or recommend to book an appointment.

Such kind of assistance especially helps the patients who live in remote areas where commuting to get aid can be difficult.

4. Promotes healthcare activity online, chatbot helps to promote offers and events to appreciate the participation and helps the sector to promote the right event at the right place and to the right people.

Besides providing benefits to the patients, it helps the sector to analysis the other pain points with the help of sentiment analysis and looks for places where the bot needs the help of a human agent.

A chatbot can't replace a doctor or any agent but it becomes a helping hand in most of the activities.